Head and Neck Cancer - Here's Why We Are Talking About It

November is Mouth Cancer awareness month. You'll have seen (hopefully) some Blue Lip selfies and suchlike, at YPD, in our Social media and perhaps at your own dental practice.

Mouth Cancer (and when I say this, I mean tumours of the tissues both in and around the mouth - that's our patch) is frequently fatal (about 50%), and if not, highly disfiguring. It is really worth getting checked on a regular basis, particularly if you are in one of the high risk groups ( see our post here for more about risks).

So, back to the story:

At the beginning of October, a very apprehensive gentleman came to see us for the first time. In fact we were the first dental practice that he'd been to for over a decade. Like many, he hates being at the dentist, and has realised that he needs to do something about his heavily damaged teeth. I rather suspect that his daughter may have also provided a bit of a nudge as well...

You'll maybe not realise that we start examining you as soon as you walk through the door, and one of the first things that I noticed was this:

It sat right under his chin. He'd been aware of it for quite a while. We had a little chat.

I completed his examination and offered to refer him to the local hospital for a fast track cancer referral. This was duly done and I am delighted to say that by this week the growth (a basal cell carcinoma) had been operated upon. The good news is that the prospects for this type of cancer are good and he should be OK. However, the outcome could equally have not been as rosy.

So, if you notice anything different that didn't used to be there - please get it looked at!

If you have any concerns about this story or anything linked to it, please get in touch with your own dentist, or the team at YPD and we will do what we can to help.